It's a Wonderful Life; You Knew Him As Bozo; Onion Rings in the I.E.; Mock Me Gently; Compton Remembers the Williams Sisters; How Green Was My Valley?; Tom Disch Remembered; The New Beverly Cinema; Tarzan of Tarzana; L.A.'s Screenplay: "Right of Way"; Doo-Dah Surf on July 19th
It's a Wonderful Life
Ever wonder why George Bailey was sweating in the middle of winter in It's a Wonderful Life? Kevin Roderick says its because they shot it in the Valley; he takes Off-Ramp to the old RKO ranch.
You Knew Him As Bozo
Hank Rosenberg remembers his one encounter with Larry Harmon, the man who made Bozo a household name.
Onion Rings in the I.E.
Fast-Food Dude Jeff Girod takes Queena to a trailer park that serves up the I.E.'s best order of onion rings.
Off-Ramp Video: The Fast Food Dude and Queena
Mock Me Gently
KPCC's Steven Cuevas plots against - then finds himself missing - the noisy mockingbird in his backyard.
Compton Remembers the Williams Sisters
KPCC's Brian Watt spoke to Jay Heath, Troy Long, and Nathan Mathis at the courts where the sisters learned their game.
How Green Was My Valley?
UPDATE: The state of California may close Los Encinos State Historic Park, at Balboa and Ventura Blvd. in Encino, once "the hub of human habitation in the Southern San Fernando Valley," because it doesn't make enough money. No, it's not a moneymaker, but it's tranquil, fun, and rich in history. Off-Ramp talked with local historian Kevin Roderick about the park a few years ago.
Tom Disch Remembered
Off-Ramp literary commentator Marc Haefele remembers his friend, sci-fi writer Tom Disch, who Marc says, "never wrote an imperfect sentence."
The New Beverly Cinema
Off-Ramp contributor Rico Gagliano talks to the owner of the New Beverly Cinema, which once once a hub for stars.
Tarzan of Tarzana
Kevin Roderick continues his tour of the Valley. This time, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Think Tarzana.
L.A.'s Screenplay: "Right of Way"
The Off-Ramp players perform "Right of Way," a screenplay written by contributors to LA Observed. It's about lust, corruption, a morally compromised mayor, and the subway to the sea. And it's fictional.
Doo-Dah Surf on July 19th
Take the aggro out of surfing at the 6th Annual Doo-Dah Surf at Sunset Beach on PCH. Surfers celebrate the Aloha spirit by putting on costumes and hitting the waves.